Did Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino really slap Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi in the face on last Thursday's episode of Jersey Shore? Well, somebody had to. No, really, he swears it was just out of concern.

"Don't f---ing slap me in the face and tell me that I need to go home," Snooks cried after Mike raised his hand to her. But it's not like last season, when a bar patron gave Snooki a solid straight punch to the schnozz when she was getting annoying, he tells MTV News. The group was leaving and Polizzi needed a little convincing, he says.

"I really wanted to try and keep an eye on her and not necessarily slap some sense into her, but let her know, 'Hey, you can't be here by yourself. You're a little girl, and the whole group was leaving.' It was a little love tap," the Situation says. "It's not like I punched somebody in the face. It's not like I did a full smack, a hard smack. It was a little tap to her cheek. Like, 'Wake up, you're going to get hurt.' And if you care for somebody, that is definitely acceptable, because you're looking out for somebody."

Yes, smacking someone in the face is a perfectly acceptable way of expressing affection -- in prison. Next time, just let her fend for herself.

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Here's the latest celebrity gossip and news about actors on drugs, pop stars having babies, Hollywood stars getting married and celebrity deaths. Compiled by Lydia Harvey and the folks at tbt*, Tampa Bay's free daily newspaper, it pokes fun at celebrity gossip and those who worship it. And don't forget the amazing YouTube clips that find their way into the Juice.